Bittersweet
by Fire The Canon
Summary: Rose has a difficult decision to make. Warning for pregnancy.


_**Written for Ollivander's Wand Shop (Peter Pettigrew - chestnut - write about someone dying their hair)**_

 _ **Written for Hogwarts Assignment 1 (Sex Ed - Task 2 - write about someone getting pregnant)**_

 _ **Written for the Ultimate Writer's Challenge (write a het fic)**_

* * *

 **Bittersweet**

Rose looked at the colour options. She could go blonde with a charm to change pink when she felt like it. Or maybe brunette with the option of purple streaks.

She was one of three customers in the unpopular _Magical Manes_ salon. _Enchanting Elegance_ was the much more popular option amongst young witches. Rose liked this one, however. It had a sort of unique charm to it, and Destiny Tippet enjoyed experimenting, something the other hairdressers were not willing to do.

"I think I'll go with the brunette this time," Rose said, pointing to the picture.

Destiny nodded. "Good choice." She took the book and disappeared to set up her things.

While she waited, Rose couldn't help but appreciate the oddities this salon possessed. Skulls and skins from long dead creatures adorned the walls. In each corner hung a horseshoe for good luck.

The name Destiny really suited the young woman out the back, who considered herself a Seer along with a hairdresser.

 _When did you become so weird?_ Rose wondered, thinking of the small girl who her brother Hugo followed around, obviously with a crush, in their younger years. She snorted. It never would have worked out between those two. For one thing, Destiny hadn't shown any interest in pursuing any relationships, and, well, Hugo was gay.

"Here we go." Destiny returned with a steaming green pit of hair dye, placing it beside Rose. It emitted an odour so preposterous, Rose was almost about to refuse the treatment.

"Don't worry too much about the smell," Destiny said. "It looks a lot better than it smells."

But it was revolting. Rose's stomach churned as something worse than rotten egg reached her nostrils. She swallowed, sensing her lunch coming back up, but before she could dash outside, it all flowed out of her mouth, spilling onto the floor.

Destiny, who was unperturbed by little, patted her on the back. "Well, I've never had someone throw up because of the smell before," she said after Rose had vomited up all of her lunch. "There, there." She took out her wand and the sick vanished in a heartbeat, replaced by a clean floor and counter and the smell of roses.

"It doesn't normally affect me," Rose said, wiping her mouth. She, too, took out her wand to clean her clothes.

"And it's not even the worst one I've got." Destiny laughed to herself, picking up the bowl again. Are you sure you want to continue?"

Looking at the horrid concoction, Rose nodded. The regrowth was terrible; if she didn't fix it, she'd look like a crazy-haired, psychotic witch. "I'll just cast a spell to block my senses for the remainder of the time."

She made it through maybe ten minutes before she sat up with a jolt. Her stomach was doing belly flops all over the place. This time, she managed to make it to one of the wash basins before she threw up the remainder of her lunch.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Destiny asked, this time sounding concerned.

Rose returned to the chair. "Yes. I must have eaten some off food or something…" She couldn't remember eating anything bad. It had only been a sandwich…

"If you're not up to continue -"

"And walk away with a patch of brown?" Rose asked. "No thank you!"

She managed to make it through the next three hours without vomiting again - a feat she considered a great achievement. Despite feeling extremely ill, she paid and left the shop with brand new brown hair.

She wasn't sure what prompted her to stop by the apothecary on her way out of Diagon Alley, but before she knew it she was at the counter and waiting for the little stout lady to finish serving the customer before her.

"How may I help you, dear?" she asked, offering a wide smile.

"I…" Rose looked around at the bottles of potions lining the stands and walls. "I… was wondering, do you have anything for nausea?" That wasn't what she wanted to ask, but when the moment came, she'd chickened out.

"Feeling under the weather, are you, dear?" the old lady asked, disappearing out the back and returning with a bottle in hand before Rose could think of an answer. "This is strong stuff. Only take two drops a day. In the morning, preferably, with a glass of pumpkin juice." She went to pass the bottle to Rose, but just before Rose's fingers closed around the green container, the lady snatched it away. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

"No!" Rose said, a little too quickly for her liking, and it seemed the lady's too.

"This stuff is very dangerous whilst pregnant. If there is a chance, you'll need to take…" she disappeared again. "... this instead. Much lighter on the stomach."

Rose eyed both bottles, but relented to the new, pink potion. "How… is there a way to… you know… find out?"

"A spell, dear," the lady said. "Surely you know it?"

Rose nodded. It was one of the first things her mother had taught her when she started dating Scorpius. "How much for this?"

"Thirteen sickles."

Rose passed over the coins and left the shop, feeling worse than she had before. She couldn't be pregnant, could she? The vomiting was just because she ate a bad lunch. But what about the past four days the same thing had occurred? She sighed. No, she couldn't put it off any longer. She wasn't stupid. She had to find out, one way or another.

…

"Rose? Rosie?"

Rose sat up from the couch, brushing down her clothes. She'd been so exhausted since arriving home she must have fallen asleep.

Scorpius, carrying a bagful of things from the fireplace, grinned at her. "Napping, have you?"

"Er, yes," Rose said, looking around the living room of their two-bedroom home. "You're home early."

"Rosie, it's six o'clock. Nice hair, by the way."

"Oh."

Scorpius frowned, setting the bag down and coming to sit beside her on the couch. "Are you okay?"

Rose nodded. "I'm okay. I'm just feeling funny. You know how it is after you wake up from a day nap. I'll be fine in a few minutes."

Scorpius nodded, but still looked concerned. When Rose didn't move, he said, "So, I thought I'd make dinner tonight. Or, at least I'd attempt. My cooking leaves little to be desired."

Rose offered half a smile. "I'm not really hungry, Scorp." She tugged on his hand, drawing him closer. "I have something to tell you."

Again, this brought great concern to him. He waited for her to continue.

Rose swallowed. "I'm… I only found out today, but I'm pregnant."

There was a long silence that ensued. Rose waited for Scorpius to say something, but by the dumbfounded look on his face, it didn't look like happening anytime soon. She was about to say something, but was interrupted by a loud _whoop_.

She looked around, trying to find the source, before she realised it was Scorpius. He was on his feet, a huge grin on his face and looking far happier than he should have been after receiving such life-changing news.

"I'm going to be a dad!" Scorpius said. "Really? How far along? When? Boy or girl? Oh, what are we going to call it? Will we use Malfoy or Weasley? What about both? Weasley-Malfoy or Malfoy-Weasley?" He paused for the briefest of seconds, looking at Rose, before adding, "I love you."

Rose didn't know what to say. She stared up at him from the couch, searching for words - any words - but none came. He was _excited_ about this. How? They were so young and far from ready to be parents.

"Are you… okay?" Scorpius asked, noticing her expression.

"I… Scorp… I'm scared."

"Of course you're scared," Scorpius said, rejoining her on the couch. "But you're excited too, right?" He placed an arm across her shoulders, squeezing them.

"I… I don't know," Rose confessed. She buried her face in her hands. "It was just such a surprise. We're only twenty…"

Scorpius shrugged.

"Scorp, our parents -"

"Who cares what they think!" Scorpius cried. "They'll be happy when they see their beautiful grandchild for the first time."

Rose said nothing.

"What's the matter?"

"Scorp, I'm not sure if I want to keep the baby."

…

"What do you mean you're pregnant? How?"

"How do you think, Ron?" Hermione said, half-annoyed, half-amused by the question.

Ron could only look between his wife and daughter, his expression resembling something like he couldn't even understand how his twenty-year-old daughter _knew_ how babies were made, let alone could engage in such an activity.

"How do you feel, Rosie?" Hermione asked.

"Scared. Confused."

Her parents sat on either side of her, her mother resting a hand on her knee and her father most likely in denial about the whole thing.

"Of course. And how is Scorpius?"

"Delighted. He's started researching baby names."

Hermione was now sympathetic. "That can't be helping, but… he's allowed to be excited."

"I know." Rose threw herself onto the back of the couch. "It just makes me feel worse, because when I found out the last thing I wanted was for it to be true. And he… he is just _so happy_."

"To be fair, Rosie, in most instances, you do feel better as time goes on."

"Oh, so it happened to you, then?" Rose asked sarcastically. "I was a surprise was I?" She could hardly imagine her mother allowing for an accidental pregnancy. Surely she and Hugo were both thoroughly planned and wanted.

"Well, no, but… it's still scary," Hermione said. "No matter how it happens."

"Rosie, before you were born, I wanted nothing more than to run away," her father said. "But then I saw you, and I wanted nothing more than to never be away from you again. I'm not saying that's how you'll feel, but it's something to consider."

Rose looked at Ron. She wanted to smile, but she couldn't. He was only trying to help her, but this situation was different.

"And if it doesn't?" she asked softly. "What if I go through this and when the baby is born, I still don't want it? Then what? Scorpius will hate me, you'll hate me, and most of all I'll hate myself."

Neither Ron nor Hermione said anything for a long time, but it was Hermione who spoke first. "That's something, sweetheart, that we can't help you with. You've got to do what's best for you, and what's best for Scorpius. He'll understand, no matter what decision you make.

Rose highly doubted he'd be too forgiving if she decided she couldn't go through with it, but she didn't voice those opinions. Right now, she needed decide what was best for everyone. At least one thing was clear: if she did go through with it, then she knew she had the support of Scorpius and her parents.

…

"Mum and Dad are delighted!" Scorpius said proudly when Rose arrived home from telling her parents later that afternoon.

"My mum and dad are very understanding and supportive," Rose added.

Scorpius scooped her into a hug, pressing his lips to her temple. "I know it's scary, Rosie, but we can do this. We can."

Rose pulled away and smiled up at him. "I hope so," she whispered. "I really hope so."

…

Rose closed her eyes. This was by far the hardest and most difficult decision she had ever had to make. She wasn't quite ready to be a mum just yet, even though Scorpius was very much ready to be a dad.

She looked at him, offering up half a smile.

"We can do this, yeah?" she said.

"Of course we can," Scorpius replied, kissing her forehead.

She nodded. "Then as long as you're with me, I can - we can - do this."

The look of delight on Scorpius' face was enough for her to know this decision was the right one. She would have this baby, and she'd do the best she'd can. And with Scorpius at her side, she knew she'd be alright.

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 _ **Thank you to Amber for beta-ing and the title suggestion. Much appreciated :)  
**_

 _ **I hope you all enjoyed this fic!**_


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